Pinball game with randomly operable drop targets

Claim 1

In a pinball game including a playfield board and one or more pinballs, the improvement comprising: means for propelling a pinball into rolling engagement with the playfield board along a variable propulsion axis, said propelling means including socket means for receiving a pinball in a set position from which it is propelled; a plurality of target assemblies mounted on said playfield board, each of said target assemblies including a single target member movable between a playing condition disposed for engagement by a pinball rolling along the playfield board and a retracted condition disposed out of the path of pinballs rolling along the playfield board, means responsive to engagement of said target member by a rolling pinball when said target member is in its playing condition for moving said target member to the retracted condition thereof, and drive means for effecting movement of said target member to the playing condition thereof independently of the target members of the others of said target assemblies; control means coupled to each of said drive means for controlling the operation thereof independently of one another automatically to control the sequence in which said target members are moved to the playing conditions thereof; guide means for returning a pinball from the playfield board to said socket means; and means for manually varying the direction of said propulsion axis.