Rotary arcade game apparatus and method

• US 5,848,935 A
• Filed: 07/28/1997
• Issued: 12/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Christopher E. Noell, Robert E. Noell
• Original Assignee: Christopher E. Noell, Robert E. Noell
• Inventors: Noell, Robert E., Noell, Christopher E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US08/901,589
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138.2, 273/138.4, 273/138.3, 273/139, 273/138.1, 273/142, 273/143, 463/16, 221/121, 221/122, 221/193, 221/195, 221/192, 221/273, 221/263, 221/266, 221/301
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3253 involving articles, e.g. paying in bottles, paying out toys

Abstract

A merchandise game of chance visually displays a commercially acceptable variety and number of prizes retained in magazines, some of which run along generatrices of a conical rotating body. A second set of magazines is interleaved with the first set of magazines at the base of the body so that prizes in a lower portion of each of the second set of magazines are visible to the player. When a player pushes a button, the rotating body slows to a halt and dispenses a prize if the magazine holding that prize is adjacent a delivery chute. In one version of the game a dummy magazine is used to display the smallest and least valuable prizes. If the dummy magazine is adjacent the chute when the conical surface stops, an equivalent small prize is delivered to the player from a dispensing hopper. The game is housed within a narrow enough enclosure to permit it to be moved through a conventional swinging door.

Claims

1. In a merchandise game of chance having a moveable surface, the game comprising means for dispensing a prize disposed on the movable surface into a delivery means, an improvement wherein

the movable surface comprises an external surface of a body having an interior region, the body journalled for rotation about a vertical axis, a base of the body adjacent the delivery means;

and wherein

a first plurality of prizes having a first size are disposed in a visible magazine disposed along the moveable surface, and a second plurality of prizes having a second size are disposed in a partially visible magazine having a lower portion adjacent the base of the body and an upper portion disposed interior thereto.

2. The merchandise game of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a frusto-conical body and wherein the partially visible magazine has an axis disposed along a generatrix of a cone having a common base with the frusto-conical body, the cone having an apical angle more obtuse than that of the frusto-conical body.

3. The merchandise game of claim 1 wherein the first size is larger than the second size.

4. The merchandise game of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a frustum of a faceted cone.

5. The merchandise game of claim 1 further comprising

a dummy magazine disposed on the moveable surface, the dummy magazine holding a third plurality of prizes having a third size;

and

a dispenser for dispensing one of a fourth plurality of prizes having the third size, the dispenser not disposed on the moveable surface.

6. The merchandise game of claim 1 wherein the delivery means comprises a visible product delivery means adjacent the base of the body, the visible product delivery means delivering a single prize disposed in either the first or the second magazines to a delivery chute portion of the delivery means.

7. The merchandise game of claim 1 wherein the body, when rotating about the vertical axis, slows to a halt responsive to a player'"'"'s action and the prize is thereafter dispensed only if one of the magazines is aligned with a delivery chute portion of the dispensing means.

8. A method of operating a merchandise game of chance having a moveable surface, the game dispensing a prize into a delivery chute responsive to a player'"'"'s action, the method comprising the steps of:

a) loading into each of a plurality of magazines disposed on an external surface of a body journaled for rotation about a vertical axis a respective plurality of the prizes;

b) causing the body to rotate about the axis until the occurrence of the player'"'"'s action;

c) slowing the rotating body to a halt

d) actuating a product delivery means acting to dispense the bottom-most prize in one of the magazines only if that magazine is aligned with the delivery chute.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a portion of the product delivery means is visible to the player.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the player'"'"'s action comprises the steps of

a) inserting an amount of money into the game;

and

b) closing a momentary contact electric switch; and

wherein the game further comprises a plurality of the product delivery means and wherein a predetermined number of the product delivery means are actuated simultaneously, the number responsive to the amount of money.

11. A merchandise game comprising a moveable surface and a delivery means for delivering a product to a user, the game comprising:

a functional vertically mounted magazine for retaining a first plurality of the products on the moveable surface so that all of the first plurality of products disposed in the functional magazine are visible to the user, and for dispensing a bottom-most one of the first plurality of products into the delivery means only if the functional magazine is adjacent the delivery means;

a simulacrum of one of a second plurality of products, the simulacrum disposed on the moveable surface so that the simulacrum is visible to the user; and

dispensing means for retaining the second plurality of products, the dispensing means adapted to dispense one of the second plurality of products to the delivery means only if the simulacrum is adjacent the delivery means.

12. The merchandise game of claim 11 comprising a housing having transparent portion and an opaque portion wherein the dispensing means is concealed.

13. The merchandise game of claim 11 comprising a housing having transparent portion and an opaque portion and wherein the dispensing means is disposed within the transparent portion.

14. The merchandise game of claim 11 wherein each of the second plurality of products is disposed within one of a third plurality of identical containers and wherein the simulacrum comprises one of the identical containers.

15. The merchandise game of claim 11 wherein the simulacrum comprises an indicium disposed on the moveable surface.