Apparatus for playing a game of chance

Claim 2

A gambling apparatus comprising a generally U-shaped table member having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel table sections and a plurality of seats disposed along the outside portions of said sections for accommodating numerous participators; receptacle means disposed between said table sections, said receptacle means including a basket and a generally circular base member, said base member having formed therein six equally spaced circular recesses, the centers of said recesses defining a circle concentric with the periphery of the base member said base member further including a central closed mound encircled by said recesses, each of the recesses being associated with a number from 1 to 6, each of said numbers from 1 to 6 being indicated on the outside of the receptacle adjacent its associated recess, each of said numbers from 1 to 6 further being indicated on said mound portion adjacent its respective associated recess; a ball which may be directed by one of said participators to said receptacle for randomly falling into one of said recesses; means for leveling said base member to ensure the completely random entry of said ball into said one, or, at random, into any one of said recesses; a display having six display conditions corresponding respectively to the numbers from 1 to 6 associated with the base recesses; electrical control means for communicating the presence of the ball in one of the base recesses to said display for displaying the number from 1 to 6 corresponding to the respective ball containing recess; and a plurality of individual layouts, each of which is disposed on said table sections at each seat, each of said layouts including a plurality of separate betting zones each of which denotes a manner of winning and the payoff for the respective manner of winning, said betting zones including zones for each number and various groups or combinations of numbers.

Claim 3

The gambling apparatus of claim 1 in which each layout has 10 zones, one zone for each number from 1 to 6, a zone for the group of numbers 1, 3, and 5, a zone for the group of numbers 2, 4, and 6, a zone for the group of numbers 1, 2, and 3, and a zone for the group of numbers 4, 5, and 6.

Claim 4

The gambling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper surface of said base member is formed with an annular groove, said basket being generally frustroconical and having an annular bottom portion which releasably fits into said groove for retaining said basket on said base member.

Claim 5

The gambling apparatus of claim 1 wherein said basket is frustroconical in shape and is formed by upper and lower ends in the form of metal hoops, and metal rods extending between said hoops, said metal rods being spaced from each other so that the participators can visually detect the movement of the ball downwardly in the basket and around the area encircling the central mound before randomly dropping into one of said recesses.

Claim 6

The gambling apparatus of claim 1 further including second receptacle means identical to and spaced from said first recited receptacle means, and wherein said display has two sets of display conditions corresponding respectively to the two sets of play results associated with recesses of the base members of the respective receptacles; said electrical control means functioning to communicate the presence of a ball in one of the recesses of each base member to place the display in the display condition corresponding to the respective members of the two sets of possible play results associated with said ball-containing recesses; and a plurality of individual layouts each of which including a plurality of zones, each zone denoting a manner of winning and the payoff for the respective manner of winning, the number of zones being greater than the combined number of individual members of the sets of play results, some of said zones directly corresponding to the addition of individual members of said sets of play results, other of said zones corresponding to predetermined pairs of individual members of said set of play results, the remaining zones corresponding to predetermined characteristics of groups of members of said sets of play results whereby a participator may place a bet on a particular zone indicated on his individual layout such that he wins or loses depending on the combination of play results effected by the balls and the particular recesses in which the balls fall.

Claim 7

The gambling apparatus of claim 5 wherein said electrical control means comprises a switch for each recess, each of said switches including a plunger extending through an opening in the bottom of said recess, said plunger carrying at its bottom a contact adapted to engage a second, spaced contact when said ball falls into the recess and depresses the switch plunger, said contacts being connected to said display means.

Claim 8

A gambling apparatus comprising a table member having a plurality of seats disposed therealong for accommodating numerous participators; receptacle means disposed adjacent said table member, said receptacle means including a generally frustoconical basket and a base member on which said basket is mounted, means for leveling said base member, said base member including a substantially flat outer portion having disposed therein six equally spaced circular recesses, the centers of said recesses defining a circle concentric with the periphery of said base member, said base member further including a central mound portion encircled by said recesses, each of the recesses being associated with one member of a set of six possible play results, each member of the set being identified on said base adjacent its associated recess; a projectile which may be directed by one of said participators to said receptacle; display means for presenting a plurality of display conditions corresponding respectively to the different members of said set of play results; electrical control means for communicating the presence of said projectile in any one of the recesses to said display to place the display in the display condition corresponding to the member of the set of possible play results associated with said projectile-containing recess, said control means comprising a switch for each recess, each of said switches including a plunger extending through an opening in the bottom of said recess, said plunger carrying at its bottom a contact adapted to engage a second, spaced contact when the projectile falls into the recess and engages and depresses the switch plunger, said contacts being connected to said display means; and a plurality of individual layouts disposed on said table member at each seat, each of said layouts including a plurality of betting zones which denote a manner of winning and the payoff for the respective manner of winning, the number of zones being greater than the number of individual members of the set of play results.

Claim 9

A gambling apparatus comprising a table member having a plurality of seats disposed therealong for accommodating numerous participators; receptacle means disposed adjacent said table member, said receptacle means including a generally frustoconical basket and a base member on which said basket is mounted, means for leveling said base member, said base member including a substantially flat outer portion having disposed therein six equally spaced circular recesses, the centers of said recesses defining a circle concentric with the periphery of said base member, said base member further including a central mound portion encircled by said recesses, each of the recesses being associated with one member of a set of six possible play results, each member of the set being identified on said base adjacent its associated recess; a projectile which may be directed by one of said participators to said receptacle; display means for presenting a plurality of display conditions corresponding respectively to the different members of said set of play results; electrical control means for communicating the presence of said projectile in any one of the recesses to said display to place the display in the display condition corresponding to the member of the set of possible play results associated with said projectile-containing recess, said control means comprising a switch for each recess, each of said switches including a plunger extending through an opening in the bottom of said recess, said plunger carrying at its bottom a contact adapted to engage a second, spaced contact when the projectile falls into the recess and engages and depresses the switch plunger, said contacts being connected to said display means; and a plurality of individual layouts disposed on said table member at each seat, each of said layouts including a plurality of betting zones which denote a manner of winning and the payoff for the respective manner of winning, the number of zones being greater than the number of individual members of the set of play results.

Claim 10

The gambling apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of said recesses is associated with a different color, each of said six colors being indicated on the outside of the base member adjacent its associated recess, each of said colors further being indicated on said mound portion adjacent its respective associated recess; said projectile comprising a rubber ball which may be directed by one of said participators to said basket; said display means having six display conditions corresponding respectively to the six colors associated with the base recesses; said electrical control means placing the display in the display condition corresponding to the specific color associated with the recess into which said ball has dropped; each of said layouts including 12 zone portions broken down into two groups, the first group comprising six zones, one for each color, each of said zones denoting predetermined and equal payoff odds relating to a first directing of said rubber ball into one of said receptacle recesses, said second group comprising six zones, one for each color, each of said zones in said second group denoting predetermined payoff odds relating to a successive first and second directing of said rubber ball into the same one of said receptacle recesses, the payoff odds of said second group of zones being higher than that of said first group of zones, each of the payoff odds of said second group of zones being equal.

Claim 11

The gambling apparatus of claim 7 further including second receptacle means identical to and spaced from said first recited receptacle means, and wherein said display has two sets of display conditions corresponding respectively to the two sets of play results associated with recesses of the base members of the respective receptacles; said electrical control means functioning to communicate the presence of a projectile in one of the recesses of each base member to place the display in the display condition corresponding to the respective members of the two sets of possible play results associated with said projectile containing recesses; and a plurality of individual layouts each of which includes a plurality of zones, each zone denoting a manner of winning and the payoff for the respective manner of winning, the number of zones being greater than the combined number of individual members of the sets of play results, some of said zones directly corresponding to the addition of individual members of said sets of play results, others of said zones corresponding to predetermined pairs of individual members of said set of play results, the remaining zones corresponding to predetermined characteristics of groups of members of said sets of play results whereby a participator may place a bet on a particular zone indicated on his individual layout such that he wins or loses depending on the combination of play results effected by the particular recesses in which the projectiles fall.

Claim 12

The gambling apparatus of claim 7 wherein the upper surface of said base member is formed with an annular groove, said basket being generally frustroconical and having an annular bottom portion which releasably fits into said groove for retaining said basket on said base member.

Claim 13

The gambling apparatus of claim 7 wherein said basket is formed by upper and lower ends in the form of metal hoops, and metal rods extending between said hoops, said metal rods being spaced from each other so that the participators can visually detect the movement of the projectile downwardly in the basket and around the area encircling the central mound before randomly dropping into one of said recesses.